A grey afternoon
by mikipau
Summary: Emma watches her son and Regina. Once Upon A Brothel ficlet.


**Title: **A grey afternoon

**Author: **mikipau

**Rating: **K+

**Fandom: **Once Upon A Time (Once Upon A Brothel)

**Pairing:** pre-Regina/Emma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Once Upon A Time or the characters there within, I'm just borrowing them from time to time with a promise to return them unharmed and hopefully a little bit happier.

**Summary:** Emma watches her son and Regina. Once Upon A Brothel ficlet.

* * *

Emma was looking out across the back of the mansion, the view from her bedroom on the second floor was breathtaking. The forest was a deep green, the distant mountains blue and the sky still a deep grey from this morning's rain. She was focused on the two figures standing in front of the garden shed. Regina, dressed in a warm coat with her dark hair windblown, was unlocking the padlock so that Henry, Emma's son, could fetch whatever it was he wanted from inside the shed.

As the door opened he disappeared inside only to quickly reappear with a ball and a big grin on his face. He threw the ball onto the lawn, taking a few steps towards it before something stopped him. He turned and shuffled back to Regina who was kneeling down and reaching for his open jacket. She closed the zipper and made sure his scarf and hat would keep him warm - something he was old enough to do himself. Emma couldn't tell what was being said, but Henry was nodding and smiling before placing a kiss to Regina's cheek.

She remembered him as a baby. How during his first months, when Emma could barely look at him, Regina had been there. She'd held him, soothed him, changed him, bathed him and made sure Emma fed him. When he was three months old he had gotten sick and the constant crying had driven Emma to the brink of a breakdown. Before the illness she simply hadn't cared about him, hadn't felt any sort of attachment to the boy she'd birthed, but as his screams filled her days and nights she'd grown angry. Angry at him, at herself, at the man who was his father - at everything. Regina had taken Henry to her room and he'd stayed there for almost eight months before Regina had managed to get Emma to care for him like a proper mother should.

He had his own room now, but Emma knew he still crept into Regina's bed when sick or scared after a nightmare. Emma wasn't jealous, how could she be? She was his mother; a gift she'd almost shunned years ago, but which had been saved and returned to her thanks to Regina. Emma loved her son now, couldn't imagine not having him in her life and Henry loved her. He adored her. When his green eyes looked up at her, giving her all of his attention, she'd see him, her wonderful son, not his mean father - a constant fear she'd had throughout her pregnancy.

Standing by the window she could see Henry kick the ball across the lawn. He ran after it, arms pumping and breath leaving his mouth in small puffs of steam. She was grateful now - for having been given a son so special another woman would treat him as her own. He was a sweet boy. He was intelligent, curious and stubborn (a trait most likely picked up from both Emma and Regina).

He was also lonely. He had no friends and though he never complained Emma suspected he was being teased at school. She feared he was an easy target - too kind and with a mother working in a brothel. Not to mention that he lived in said brothel. The children in town might not know what that entailed, but they'd learned from home to stay away from the women living at the mansion, and by turn keeping clear of Henry. Sometimes Emma wished she could give him more, make him happier, but this was their life and although her profession wasn't what she'd dreamed of, what she'd thought herself ever able to stoop to, Cora's brothel was the only place Emma had ever felt came close to a home.

There was a knock at her door and she turned from the window as the handle was pushed down and the door opened.

"Emma? Are you in here?" As usual Regina's voice was calm, collected and slightly restrained. She was in control - all of the time. She could switch from hard and unfeeling to caring or seductive in mere seconds. There was a reason why she was the top girl in the house. Not only was she Cora's daughter, and the most beautiful woman Emma had ever seen, but she was also an amazing actress who could wrap any man around her pinkie. Emma suspected this was something she'd been taught from an early age, and not in a nice way. Cora was harsh, she had rules and if you crossed her she made sure you felt it. She had high expectations and was strict to the point of being cruel. Since coming here, eight months pregnant, Emma had only seen Cora lenient with one person - and it sure as hell wasn't her own daughter.

"I just wanted to tell you that Henry's outside playing. I told him he could stay out until dinner."

"Yeah, I saw you through the window. Thank you for making sure he's bundled up."

"No need to thank me." Regina smiled. Her eyes were soft as they met Emma's.

Sometimes she wondered about the kindness Regina showed her son and by extension herself. She was nice to the other girls too, she guided them, taught them what she knew, stood up for them when they got into trouble, but she was also disciplinarian and harsh when she felt the need. She could be a real bitch when angered and yet she never raised her voice to Henry. Emma saw something undefinable in the dark eyes studying her, but it was gone before she had a chance to process what it meant. Regina stepped up to the window, looking down at Henry.

"He needs a warmer jacket. The old one is too small - the sleeves too short. Should I take him into town tomorrow?"

"No, it's okay. I'll do it." Emma sighed. She knew she wouldn't be able to afford the soccer cleats he'd begged her to buy, but what choice did she have? Winter was fast approaching and he needed boots and a down jacket. The old cleats would have to last until he outgrew them, although they did look miserable by now. Maybe she could save enough to give him a pair for Christmas.

"I can get new cleats for him."

Emma looked up. How did Regina know what she was thinking? Was she so attuned to her that she knew her every worry? Her every thought?

Regina was biting her bottom lip, looking strangely insecure. "I mean I know which ones he wants, and I had planned on getting them for him anyway. He did good on the math test and I promised him something for his efforts."

Emma couldn't hold back the incredulous laughter that bubbled up in her throat. "Regina, doing good on a test should be awarded with ice-cream or pizza for dinner. Not expensive shoes! I can't allow you to spend so much money on him. You'll spoil him rotten!"

"He earned it. You know how he struggles with math. It's so rare that I get to treat him to something special. I want to do this Emma. Please?"

Emma looked at her son. He was still dribbling the ball back and forth across the lawn. Soccer was the only thing he enjoyed besides reading. His team practiced twice a week and it was the only time, outside of school, that he spent with children his own age. How could she say no? She nodded slowly at Regina, giving in to her request. Her eyes returned to the window, to the lonely boy happily defying the chilly afternoon.

She heard Regina move behind her. Heard her pause at the door, but as Emma had her back turned she didn't see the longing look of love on Regina's face before she quietly slipped out the door.


End file.
